Confuted.

Your Preamble, with a grave bitterness, charges me with, first, presumption upon advantages; secondly, weak and weightless discourse; thirdly, ignorance of the cause censured.

It had been madness in me to write, if I had not presumed upon advantages: but, of the cause, of the truth; not, of the times though, blessed be God, the times favour the truth, and us; if you scorn them and their favours, complain not to be an underling: think that the times are wiser, than to bestow their favours upon wilful adversaries. But, in spite of times, you are not more under us in estate, than in conceit above us: so we say, "the sun is under a cloud," we know it is above it. Would f God overliness and contempt were not yours; even to them, which are mounted highest upon best desert: and now you, that have not learned sobriety in just disadvantages, tax us, not to use soberly the advantages of time. There was no gall in my pen, no insultation: I wrote to you as brethren, and wished you companions: there was more danger of flattery in my style, than bitterness. Wherein used I not my advantages soberly? Not, in that I said too much; but not enough: not in that I was too sharp; but not weighty enough. My opposition was not too vehement; but too slight and slender: so, strong champions blame their adversary, for striking too easily. You might have forborne this fault: it was my favour, that I did not my worst: you are worthy of more weight, that complain of ease.

The discourse, that I rolled down upon you, was weak and weightless: you shall well find, this was my lenity, not my impotence. The fault hereof is partly in your expectation, not in my letter. I meant but a short Epistle; you looked belike for a volume, or nothing. I meant only a general monition : you looked for a solid prosecution of particulars. It is not for you, to give tasks to others' pens. By what law, must we write nothing but large Scholastical Discourses: such tomes as yours? May we not touch your sore, unless we will lance and search it? I was not enough your enemy: forgive me this error, and you shall smart more.

But, not only my omissions were of ignorance, but my censures, though severe and solemn. An easy imputation from so

Hier. Marco. Presbyt. De cavernis cellularum damnamus orbem. In succo et cinere volutati, de Episcopis sententiam ferimus. Quid facit, sub tunicá panitentis, regius animus. Cypr. 1. iii. Ep. 9. Hæc sunt initia hæreticorum, ut sibi placeant, ut præpositum superbo tumore contemnant. Harrison, once theirs, in Ps. cxxii. of Brown's Antichristian pride and bitterness. Bredw. Pref. M. Brinsly's Pref. to the 2d part of the Watch. Optat. Mil. de Donat. College non eritis si nolitis, fratres estis &c. Disclaimed by themselves. Answer against Broughton, page 21.

great a controuler! I pardon you, and take this as the common lot of enemies. I never yet could see any scribbler SO unlearned, as that he durst not charge his opposite with ignorance. If Dr. Whitaker, M. Perkins, M. Gyfford, and that Oracle of our present times Dr. Andrews, went away content with this livery from yours, how can I repine? If I have censured what cause I knew not, let me be censured for, more than ignorance, impudency: but, if you know not what I censured (let all my trust lie on this issue) take both ignorance, boldness, and malice to yourself. Is your cause so mystical, that you can fear any man's ignorance? What cobler or spinster hath not heard of the main holds of Brownism? Am I only a stranger in Jerusalem? If I know not all your opinions, pardon me your own have not received this illumination; Í speak boldly, not yourself. Every day brings new conceits; and not one day teaches, but corrects another. You must be more constant to yourselves, ere you can upbraid ignorance, or avoid it. But, whether I knew your prime fancies, appears sufficiently by a particular discourse, which, above a year since, was in the hands of some of your clients; and I wonder if not in yours. Shortly; am I ignorant? If I were obstinate too, you might hope, with the next gale, for me, your more equal adversary, at Amsterdam. As I am, my want of care and skill shall, I hope, lose nothing of the truth by you; nor suffer any of your foul aspersions upon the face of God's Church, and

ours.

Sep. "As this Epistle is come to my hands, so I wish the answer of it may come to the hands of him that occasioned it: entreating the Christian Reader, in the name of the Lord, unpartially to behold, without either prejudice of cause or respect of person, what is written on both sides; and so, from the Court of a sound Conscience, to give just judgment."

BUT, while we strive, who shall be our judge? "The Christian Readers." Who are those? Presume not, ye more zealous and forward countrymen, that you are admitted to this bench. So far are we, mere English, from being allowed judges of them, that they have already judged us to be no Christians. We are goats and swine; no sheep of God.

Separat. Schis. " M. Gyfford, an ignorant priest." Bar. p. 64. Confer. of D. And. and M. Hutchins. with Barrow.

h M. Spr. 3. Considerat. Iren. lib. i. Per singulos dies novum aliquod adfectunt, &c.

i Bar. Confer. with Hutchins. fol. 1. Brown's Estate of True Christians. Defence of True Christians against the Doct. of Oxford. Johns. against Jacob, passim. Barrow against Gyfford.

Since then none but your parlour in the West, and Amsterdam, must be our judges, who, I beseech you, shall be our adversaries? God shall be Judge betwixt you and us, and correct this your unchristian uncharitableness.

SECT. 2.

The Parties written to, and their Crime.

I WROTE not to you, alone *: what is become of your partner; yea, your guide? Woe is me! he hath renounced our Christendom with our Church: and hath washed off his former water, with new; and now condemns you all, for not separating further, no less than we condemn you for separating so far. As if you could not be enough out of Babylon, unless you be out of yourselves. Alas, miserable Countrymen, whither run you? Religion hath but his height, beyond which is error and madness. He tells you true: your station is unsafe: either you must forward to him, or back to us.

The crime of Separation, how great.

Sep." The crime here objected is Separation, a thing very odious in the eyes of all them from whom it is made: as evermore casting upon them the imputation of evil, whereof all men are impatient. And hence it cometh to pass, that the Church of England can better brook the vilest persons continuing communion with it, than any whomsoever separating from it, though upon never so just and well grounded

reasons."

I OBJECTED separation to you: yet not so extreme, as your answer bewrays: a late separation, not the first: my charity hoped you less ill, than you will needs deserve. You grant it odious, because it casts imputation of evil upon the forsaken. Of evil? yea, of the worst; an estate incurable and desperate. He is an ill physician, that will leave his patient upon every distemper: his departure argues the disease helpless. Were we but faulty, as your Landlord Churches, your own rules would not abide your flight". Hence the Church of England

"To M. Smith and M. Robinson, Ringleaders of the late Separation at Amsterdam."

Charact. of the Beast, written by M. Smith. Pref. "Be it known therefore to all the Separation, that we account them, in respect of their constitution, to be as very a Harlot, as either her Mother the Church of England, or her Grandmother Rome is, &c." Iterato baptizatus scienter, iterato Dominum crucifigit. De Consecr. Dist. 4. Quivis &c.

m

Vid. Johnson's Preface to his Enquiry.

justly matches Separatists with the vilest persons. God himself doth so: who are more vile than patrons of evil? yet no greater woe is to them that speak good of evil, than those that speak evil of good; Is. v. 20. So, wise generals punish mutinous persons, worse than robbers or adulterers. So Korah and his company, a story cunningly turned upon us by your Martyr", for their opposition to Moses, were more fearfully plagued, than the idolatrous Israelites; Num. xvi. 31. Exod. xxxii. 30. These sins are more directly against common society; the other, more personal: and, if both have like iniquity; yet the former have both more offence and more danger. And, if not so, yet who cannot rather brook a lewd servant, than an undutiful son, though pretending fair colours for his disobedience? At least, you think the Church of England thinks herself God's Church, as well as your Saints of Amsterdam. You, that so accurse apostacy in others, could ye expect she should brook it in you?

But, your reasons are just and well grounded: Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; Prov. xxi. 2. Said we not well, that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a Devil, say the Jews? What schism ever did not think well of itself? For us, we call heaven and earth to record, your cause hath no more justice than yourselves have charity.

SECT. 3.

The Kinds of Separation, and which is just.

Sep." And yet Separation from the world, and so from the men of the world, and so from the Prince of the World that reigneth in them, and so from whatsoever is contrary to God, is the first step to our communion with God, and angels, and good men; as the first step to a ladder, is to leave the earth."

YET there is a commendable and happy Separation from the world, from the Prince and men of the World, and whatsoever is contrary to God: who doubts it? There were no heaven for us, without this: no Church; which hath her name given by her Father and Husband, of calling out from other". Out of the Egypt of the world doth God call his sons.

But this separation is into the Visible Church from the world; not, as yours, out of the Church, because of some particular mixtures with the world: or, if you would rather take it of profession, out of the world of Pagans and Infidels, into

M. Penry, in his Disc. of this subject.

0

ἐκκλησία.

the Visible Church; not out of the world of true, though faulty, Christians, into a purer Church.

That I may here, at once for all, give light to this point of Separation, we find in Scripture a Separation either to good, or from evil.

To good. So the Levites were separated from among the children of Israel, to bear the ark, and to minister; Num. viii. 14. Num. xvi. 9. Deut. x. 8: so the firstborn, firstfruits, and cities of refuge; Exod. xiii. 12. Lev. xxiii. 10. Deut. iv. 41: So Paul was apopioμévos, separated; Rom. i. 1. which some would have allude to his Pharisaism, but hath plain reference to God's own words, Acts xiii. 2. Separate me Barnabas and Saul. Though this is rather a destination to some worthy purpose, than a properly called separation.

From evil, whether sin or sinners.

From sin: so every soul must eschew evil, whether of doctrine or manners; and disclaim all fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, whether in himself or others: so St. Paul charges us to hold that which is good, and abstain from all appearance of evil; 1 Thes. v. 21, 22: so Jeremiah is charged to separate the precious doctrine or practice' from the vile; Jer. xv. 19.

From sinners, not only practised by God himself, to omit his eternal and secret decree whereby the elect are separated from the reprobate, both in his gracious vocation, sequestering them from nature and sin; as also in his execution of judgment, whether particular as of the Israelites from the tabernacles of Korah, Num. xvi. 26. or universal and final of the sheep from the goats, Matt. xv. 46: but also enjoined from God to men, in respect either of our affection, or of our yoke and familiar society; 2 Chron. xix. 2: whereof St. Paul, Be not unequally yoked with infidels: come out from among them, and separate yourselves; 2 Cor. vi. 14, 17.

In all this we agree. differ.

In the latitude of this last only we

I find you call for a double separation. A first separation, in the gathering of the Church; a second, in the managing of it: the first, at our entrance into the Church; the second, in our continuance: the first, of the Church, from Pagans and Worldlings, by an initiatory profession; the second, of lewd men from the Church, by just censures.

You speak confusedly of your own separation: one while, of both; another while, of either single '.

4 ἀφορίσατε δή μοι Σαῦλον.

Vide Tremel. et Jun.

8 Nulla cum malis convivia vel colloquia misceantur; simúsque ab üs tam Separati, quàm sunt illi ab Ecclesiá Dei profugi. Cypr. 1. i. Epist. ad Corn. 2. 'Character of Beast. Pref.